1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector and particularly to an electrical connector for connecting a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) with a complementary connector and in turn to a circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical connectors are normally used to aid in connecting a FPC to a conventional circuit board. One example of the related art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,506. As is shown in FIG. 4, a conventional connector for a FPC comprises an insulative housing 5, a plurality of electrical terminals 6 mounted in the housing 5, and a rotatable cover plate 7 mounted at a fulcrum portion 8 of the terminal 6 facing an open space above the terminals 6. While the cover plate 7 is in the open position as shown in phantom in FIG. 4, the FPC 9 is inserted into a cavity 10 of the housing 5 between the terminals 6 and the cover plate 7 at a zero insertion force. Then the cover plate 7 is turned clockwise around the fulcrum portion 8 through an angle of nearly 90.degree. to a closed position and a pressure edge 71 at the lower surface thereof directly presses the FPC 9 to the electrical terminals 6.
The FPC 9 can be electrically connected with the connector in the way described above, but the pressure exerted on the FPC 9 by the cover plate 7 is applied to the terminals 6 directly. The terminals 6 may be permanently deformed by use, resulting in decreased resilience and an increase in the gap between the terminals 6 and the cover plate 7 which in turn can result in unstable signal transmission and unstable retention of the FPC 9 in the housing 5. Furthermore, the cover plate 7 is loose when in an open position and can readily cause deformation or damage to the housing 5 if acted upon by an unintentional external force or vibration. Lastly the connector occupies a relative large area of precious space in a computer, which runs counter to the present trend toward miniaturization and integration of computer elements.